Recover harder.
I’m a pusher, a doer, a typical type-A, can’t sit still, always on the move busy body. This personality is well suited for training. Efforts calm me down and keep me focused. I embrace suffering, maybe a little more than the average person. I am more at home feeling the fire in my legs when I’m 3/4 done with a climb and I get out of the saddle to push it over the top than I am on the couch. The downside of constantly doing? My body can’t always keep up. Racing at this level and working a full time job means my body often needs more rest and healing than I’d like to give it.
By gateway cup last year my body was burnt out becauseI didn’t take the rest I needed mid season. With a more intense schedule planned for 2018, I’m taking a more calculated approach to training and recovering. I gained more physical strength this off season than I ever have before. (Side note: getting strong has had some fun side affects, like building 10 pounds of muscle, ripping the bum in my favorite jeans, throwing balls through walls, ripping off shirt sleeves, and of course the time I unintentionally PR’d on deadlifts because Jesse and I can’t do math). Here’s a quick list of the things I’m doing differently that are helping me recovery harder, I hope some of them help you too! Disclaimer: I’m NOT a dietician, nutritionist, coach, doctor, or any other type of health professional. This blog is just anecdotal information about what works for me. If it contradicts any professional opinions, I immediately yield to their wiser advice.
1. Drink a recovery drink within 30 minutes of finishing activity. I LOVE a good protein shake. This year I found a lower cost protein mix with 26g of whey and casein protein combined with 15g of carbohydrates and I’ve been using it religiously. To be clear, that means after any workout harder than an easy zone 1 spin. If I have two workouts in a day, I’m having two recovery drinks. I like the peanut butter flavor mixed with unsweetened vanilla almond milk. This mix is a little low on carbs, so I make sure to eat 40-50g more within 90 minutes of finishing my workout.
2. Eat real food, and a lot of it. I’ve decided this year that I am done being hungry. Im planning ahead, carrying snacks, eating at a more regular interval on rides, and avoiding fasting by all costs. I’ve worked hard to gain the muscle I’ve got, and I don’t want to lose it. That being said, I’m picky about what I eat. I avoid refined sugar, I don’t go out more than once a week, I focus on getting my macros, and I aim for lean protein with complex carbohydrates. I plan ahead so that I’m not in a situation to be super hungry and eat something bad for me. My go to meal right now is a big bowl with shredded chicken, farro, roasted sweet potatoes, roasted pears, spinach, roasted beets, and avocados all topped with pecans and a fruity vinnaegrette. I make the vinnaegrette myself to have more control over the ingredients. Salt, pepper, good vinegar, and olive oil are all I need. I prep 4 days ahead and just reheat.
3. Sleep the same 7-8 hours every night. I struggled with this one for a long time. My training partners will be the first to tell you I am NOT a morning person. If I say lifting at 5:30 I’ll be at least 15 minutes late. I like to sleep in. But I recently committed to going to bed at 10pm and waking up at 6am every morning. My resting heart rate came down 3-4 bpm the week I started doing this. I feel less tired for morning workouts, I fall asleep easier, I wake up easier. I also find that I’m sleeping more because I don’t have those long, sleepless nights leading into my morning workouts.
4. Cool down properly. Your workout is not done after the last effort. Your workout is done after a proper cool down. I spin easy for 10 minutes after rides and after lifting, then I stretch hamstrings, calves, IT bands, quads, hip flexors, lower back, chest, and shoulders. As someone that’s always on the go, I’m usually looking to eliminate fluff. I used to think cool downs were fluff. But after doing them regularly and missing a spin on Tuesday this week, I couldn’t believe how much my body hurt on Wednesday. It took me two sweet spot intervals to loosen back up.
5. Don’t be afraid to opt for recovery. You can’t build fitness on a damaged body. It’s okay to miss a workout if you’re feeling dumpy. Actually more than okay, it’s a good thing. I know it’s true, but I’m not so good at following this rule. I’ll almost never say I’m too tired for a workout. That’s why I started to rely on some unbiased metrics to help me make these decisions. My resting heart rate tells me when I need a recovery day. If I wake up and it’s elevated, I’ll tell my coach and we make the day recovery. It took me a long time to learn that taking recovery instead of training is a net gain. I'm also a believer in active recovery, sometimes instead of a hard ride a one hour spin on rollers is what my body needs.
Making these changes has had a great impact on my off season fitness. I feel stronger and healthier, and I’ve been sick less often. Not on this list, but arguably the best thing you can do is self-education. If you want to learn more about fueling your body from an actual health professional, I recommend the book Roar by Stacy T. Sims.
Happy Friday!
